A murdered teen is resurrected to walk the earth for more than a century in the second and final book in the sweeping epic thatEntertainment Weekly called “utterly riveting.”

Zebulon Finch has faced more violence, lust, and heartbreak than any other seventeen-year-old in history. But nothing can prepare him for what is coming next.

Half a century has passed since Zebulon Finch was gunned down and then inexplicably resurrected to experience a second life. Picking up his tale where he left off, Zebulon heads to Nazi Germany on a top-secret mission. From there he escapes to the shiny new world of the suburbs—a tidy neighborhood hiding dark secrets. He will exchange the pains of this world for what he believes will be peace among the stars. He will march for social change all the way to Woodstock, go raving mad in the desert, and finally exit from humanity the only way he knows how. We first met Zebulon sealed in a tomb beneath the World Trade Center—might he yet crawl from the rubble to discover a different America?

Enthralling and gut-wrenching, The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Volume Two: Empire Decayed is the conclusion to the epic saga of one young man’s journey down the long road to redemption.

Welcome to the first stop on the ZEBULON FINCH VOL. 2 blog tour, celebrating the second and final book in the duology’s release.

The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Volume Two: Empire Decayed by Daniel Kraus is a door-stopping, show-stopping, unforgettable tome that will take you less time than you imagine to finish. I had planned for this to be a mother-son review, but my son had a bunch of end-of-term deadlines for high school, so we looked around for a few of our favorite reviews by other sources. But first, a disclaimer:

I am not turned off by explorations of the macabre or violence or cruelty, as long as the writing is good and the story makes me think. But I will admit that Kraus’ writing can be gruesome and therefore these two books aren’t for readers who can’t linger in the darkness. There is a lot that’s disturbing in the story, and it can be difficult and even grim at times. But don’t let that scare you off. These are amazingly written crossover books that both teens and adults (even adults hesitant about YA) will enjoy — as long as they enjoy dark and intense stories. Here’s our round-up of a few lines from reviews of Zebulon Finch, Vol. 2 — all of which describe our feelings for the book:

April Spisak, Project Muse:

In this volume, readers witness a dizzying new list of assaults on human dignity, from concentration camps to cannibalistic cults, and Finch is right there in all of them, sometimes participant, sometimes observer, always weighing in on what he thinks of it all. Kraus never spares the gore or dark details, allowing readers clear glimpses into the true depths that people sink, and not allowing them a chance to look away, forcing them, as Finch tells us over and over he must also do, to know what it is like to not be able to leave (Finch has tried to kill himself countless times and ways). Zebulon thinks he is above it all, showing off his education and silently judging others, but he’s actually a mirror of the worst, and that’s a brilliantly uncomfortable place for readers to spend almost 800 pages (in the sequel alone)—with an unreliable narrator who wants and even expects sympathy but deserves pity, outrage, or scorn.

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]This book is graphic and gritty and will probably offend and horrify and I loved every glorious moment of it! Zebulon Finch is completely epic and a beautiful tribute to life. Live your life, live with fear and live your life well as it is short and not at all guaranteed. –Stacey Kondla, Goodreads[/pullquote]

Munro’s Kids, Goodreads:

I found this second volume to be much darker and more pessimistic than the first, which made me happy, but could scare off some more easily bothered readers.

Hello fellow book lovers! Teen Lit Rocks is run by Sandie Chen, a professional book reviewer and film critic. Our contributors are all adult women (librarians, educators, mothers) hailing from across the U.S. and Canada who love to read YA. We support diversity in teen literature and can't wait to discuss our recommendations with you.